The Jacksonville Jaguars entered the 2026 NFL trade deadline as one of the league’s best teams. They left it looking even more like a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

Jacksonville made three defensive trades, while the Kansas City Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings addressed obvious weaknesses on offense. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Los Angeles Chargers took the opposite approach, leaving PFN’s Cam Mellor and Jacob Infante questioning whether each team did enough with its opportunity.

Here are the biggest winners and losers from the 2026 NFL trade deadline.

Winner: Jacksonville Jaguars

No team was more aggressive than Jacksonville.

The Jaguars acquired defensive tackle Jordan Davis from the Philadelphia Eagles, safety Jessie Bates III from the Atlanta Falcons, and defensive tackle Davon Godchaux from the New Orleans Saints. Davis cost Jacksonville a 2027 first-round pick and a 2029 second-rounder, while Bates cost a 2027 second and a 2028 fifth. Godchaux came for a conditional sixth-round selection.

That’s a substantial amount of draft capital, particularly for Davis. It’s also easier to justify when the Jaguars are 6-2 and already rank first in PFN’s Team Impact metric with an 89.8 grade.

“I do think that the Jaguars come out of this trade deadline as massive winners,” Infante said. “A great team turned even better with the moves that they made.”

Davis gives Jacksonville another massive presence in the middle of the defensive line. Bates adds one of the NFL’s most accomplished safeties to the back end, while Godchaux provides another experienced interior defender for the rotation.

The moves also helped address injuries. Jacksonville lost defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton and safety Eric Murray to injured reserve before making the three trades.

PFN’s discussion centered largely on the price for Davis. A future first-round selection is significant, but Jacksonville is betting that pick will land near the end of Round 1. If that happens, the question becomes whether the Jaguars could realistically expect to find a player better than Davis at that spot while they’re trying to win a Super Bowl now.

Trevor Lawrence is playing some of the best football of his career, Jacksonville already had one of the league’s most complete rosters, and the front office responded by adding three defensive players rather than waiting to see if the current group was good enough.

“Now you’re looking at a serious push, putting all their chips on the table,” Infante said.

That’s enough to make Jacksonville the biggest winner of the deadline.

Winner: Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs didn’t need a blockbuster. They needed another reliable wide receiver.

Kansas City acquired Josh Downs and a 2027 seventh-round pick from the Indianapolis Colts for 2027 fourth- and fifth-round selections. Downs had 33 receptions for 354 yards and a touchdown through eight games with Indianapolis.

Downs isn’t being asked to become the centerpiece of Kansas City’s offense. Patrick Mahomes already has Travis Kelce, while Kenneth Walker III has given the Chiefs a productive running game. Downs can work from the slot, separate quickly, and give Mahomes another option in the short and intermediate areas of the field.

“I’m not going to sit here and say that Josh Downs is an elite wide receiver because that’s not particularly the case,” Infante said. “But he’s a good starter, and that’s an upgrade over what the Chiefs have currently.”

Cam Mellor also liked what Downs could do for Kelce. A receiver capable of consistently winning underneath can force defenses to make different decisions in the middle of the field rather than concentrating as much attention on the veteran tight end.

Kansas City gave up Day 3 capital rather than paying a premium price for one of the bigger receiver names that had surfaced around the deadline.

For a 6-2 team with Super Bowl expectations, that’s a sensible way to address its most obvious offensive need.

Winner: Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota’s quarterback problem became impossible to ignore during its 23-6 loss to Buffalo.

The Vikings responded by sending a 2027 third-round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders for Kirk Cousins, reuniting the veteran quarterback with Kevin O’Connell and Justin Jefferson.

Cousins started all nine games for Las Vegas before the trade, completing 64.1% of his passes for 2,340 yards, 20 touchdowns, and eight interceptions.

“I think that Cousins represents an upgrade for the Vikings at the most important position in football,” Infante said.

Minnesota’s defense has carried a significant amount of the load during its 6-2 start. The Vikings rank first in PFN’s Defense Impact metric, but the offense entered the deadline ranked near the bottom of the league.

Cousins doesn’t need to transform that unit into an elite offense. Minnesota needs the position to stop dragging down a roster that has already shown it can compete with playoff teams.

The familiarity helps, too. Cousins spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons playing for O’Connell, limiting the learning curve that normally comes with changing quarterbacks in November.

Infante still isn’t convinced Minnesota has the same ceiling as Chicago, Detroit, or Green Bay in the NFC North. The Cousins trade does make him considerably less confident in the idea that the Vikings will be the division team that eventually falls out of the NFC playoff field.

Loser: Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh reached the deadline at 6-2 and tied with Cincinnati atop the AFC North. The Steelers left the roster untouched.

That could prove prudent if the front office doesn’t believe this version of the team is close enough to a Super Bowl to justify sacrificing future picks. Infante understood that argument.

He still would have liked to see Pittsburgh add another offensive piece.

“I feel like Pittsburgh had an opportunity to upgrade in any capacity and make a push for the playoffs, and they aren’t necessarily doing that,” Infante said.

Aaron Rodgers has helped keep Pittsburgh in first place, but the offense doesn’t have the same ceiling as several of the other AFC contenders. Jacksonville added three defenders. Kansas City added Downs. Buffalo added safety Amani Hooker.

The Steelers did explore the receiver market before the deadline but ultimately made no deal.

Standing pat preserves Pittsburgh’s future flexibility. It also leaves the Steelers trying to get through an AFC that includes Buffalo, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Denver, and Cincinnati without adding anything for the stretch run.

Infante’s concern is a familiar one for Pittsburgh: another good regular season that ends quickly once the competition gets stronger in January.

Loser: Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers had the clearest reason of any team to sell.

Los Angeles is 0-8. Rather than using the deadline to turn several veteran pieces into future draft capital, the Chargers made one deal, sending linebacker Daiyan Henley to the Denver Broncos for a 2027 fourth-round pick and a 2028 fifth-rounder.

Henley was a two-time captain and had started all eight games this season, leading Los Angeles with 51 tackles.

“I’m just very confused by the Chargers’ mentality this deadline,” Infante said.

The issue isn’t necessarily moving Henley. He is scheduled to reach free agency after the season, and Los Angeles added two picks rather than risk losing him for a less valuable compensatory return.

The question is why the Chargers stopped there.

Khalil Mack remains on a roster with virtually no chance of reaching the postseason. Other veterans could also have produced assets for a team that increasingly appears headed toward a significant reset.

Mellor viewed the Henley trade as particularly strange because Los Angeles moved one of the emotional leaders of the defense without following it with the broader sell-off expected from an 0-8 team.

The Chargers moved one useful player and added two future picks. They just didn’t do enough for a team whose focus should already be shifting toward what comes next.